Preparations for Magical Kenya Open in top gear as Government steps in

Cabinet Secretary for Sports,Culture and Heritage Dr Amina Mohamed held a meeting with officials from the Kenya Golf Union on Thursday to discuss preparations for the Magical Kenya Open Golf Tournament set to take place in March this year.

The European Tour will visit the historic Muthaiga Golf Club for the first time when the Magical Kenya Open returns to the Race to Dubai from March 3-6, 2022.

According to CS Amina,the event has grown in popularity and stature as one of the hallmarks of the Kenyan sporting calendar and the Government is committed to continuing with this tradition with the support of the European Tour to plan to host a memorable 2022 Kenya Open Championship.

“The presence of top golfers from all over the world on Kenyan soil gives our young golfers role models that they can emulate. The Ministry of Sports will continue to work with the Kenya Golf Union to popularise the game of golf among our young people.

“We remain hopeful that our junior golfers will tap into the experience and inspiration as they follow their golf stars in person here at the Muthaiga Golf Club. We hope that it will translate in one of our young golfers winning the tournament in the near future.”she said.

The Magical Kenya Open has a history dating back to 1967 and appeared on the European Tour’s schedule for the first time in 2019, having previously taken its place on the Challenge Tour schedule since 1991.

Muthaiga has hosted Kenya’s national open on 40 previous occasions, including the tournament’s very first edition, with Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Ian Woosnam among those to have lifted the trophy at the Nairobi venue.

The 2022 edition will mark the first time the European Tour has visited the prestigious Muthaiga Golf Club – which was established in the 1920s – after Karen Country Club, also in the Kenyan capital, hosted to the Race to Dubai event in 2019 and 2021.

Justin Harding claimed the 2021 Magical Kenya Open title courtesy of a two-stroke triumph over American Kurt Kitayama, with the South African winning for the second time on the European Tour and eighth time overall on the African continent, having seven Sunshine Tour victories already to his name.

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